Baker Donelson has recognized Kristine L. Roberts with the Firm's 2019 Susan E. Rich Award for excellence in the promotion of and commitment to women in the legal profession.
Ms. Roberts, a shareholder in Baker Donelson's Memphis office, is chair of the Firm's Financial Services Department and a member of Baker Donelson's board of directors. Ms. Roberts has served as Baker Donelson's Women's Initiative Mentoring Committee co-chair since 2014. As a result of her leadership, the Women's Initiative now offers a menu of options and opportunities for the Firm's women attorneys and advisors to develop meaningful mentoring relationships, including individual mentors, topic mentors, and mentoring circles.
Christy Tosh Crider, chair of Baker Donelson's Women's Initiative, said, "Kristine is a tireless advocate for women in the Firm and in our profession. Her efforts as a leader within our Women's Initiative have had a significant impact on improving mentoring opportunities for our female attorneys and advisors. As she has risen to numerous leadership roles within the Firm, she has continued to invest in those around her, striving to connect with and motivate each person. Kristine is a role model and a credit to our profession."
An experienced business and commercial litigator with a focus on banking and financial institutions litigation, Ms. Roberts has defended clients in numerous trial and appellate cases in federal and state courts, as well as in private arbitrations. She has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America© since 2014, and since 2013 she has been recognized by Mid-South Super Lawyers, which has also named her among the top 50 female attorneys in the Mid-South, among the top 50 Memphis attorneys, and among the top 100 Tennessee attorneys. She also has been named a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America. Ms. Roberts is currently the president of the board of directors of Memphis Area Legal Services. Ms. Roberts is a graduate of Harvard Law School, where she served as an executive editor on the Harvard Law Review, and Princeton University.
Baker Donelson established the Susan E. Rich award in honor of Susan Elliot Rich, a shareholder in the Firm's Chattanooga, Tennessee office, who was the Firm's first woman shareholder, the first woman to be appointed an office managing shareholder and the first woman appointed to the Firm's board of directors. This award is given annually to a recipient who exemplifies ongoing commitment and effort to strengthen the role of women attorneys at the Firm.